Hyundai’s compact sedan, the Aura, has been thoroughly updated for 2023. We recently tested it and found it to be a compelling buy, especially for new car buyers. Here’s a closer look at it through our detailed pictures.

The 2023 Aura gets revised bumpers with a larger and wider front grille having a gloss black mesh design. The LED DRLs have now been repositioned from the grille into the bumper, replacing the circular fog lamps. And that’s pretty much all the changes the new Aura gets.

The side profile and dimensions remain unaltered and the 15-inch alloy wheels continue with the same design. The split tail lamps are adjoined by a chrome stripe and the ‘Aura’ lettering is affixed at the center.

Inside, the design of the cabin and the dashboard remain unchanged. The two-tone black and grey theme has been carried forward and the dashboard gets a brown honeycomb-like pattern at the center. Further, the front seats continue to have fixed headrests and its upholstery is grey in shade and a mix of fabric and leatherette material.

In terms of features, the Aura now gets footwell ambient lighting, a wireless charging pad that sources its power from a 12V socket, cruise control, a Type-C fast charging port, and a revised design for the analogue instrument cluster.

It also ranks high on safety with a tyre pressure monitoring system and four airbags being offered as standard across the range, and six airbags for the range-topping SX (O) variant.

The Aura no longer comes with the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol and 1.2-litre diesel engines that were previously offered. Instead, the compact sedan is now offered with a single petrol engine along with a CNG alternative.

The 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated motor in its petrol guise puts out 82bhp and 114Nm of torque and comes mated to a five-speed manual and an AMT unit. Meanwhile, the same motor in its CNG version gets a lower output of 68bhp and 95Nm of peak torque.

The new Hyundai Aura is available in four variants – E, S, SX, and SX (O). With a premium of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30,000, the new Aura now has a starting price of Rs. 6.30 lakh (ex-showroom). Meanwhile, the CNG version is offered only in S and SX trims that are priced at Rs. 8.10 lakh and Rs. 8.87 lakh, respectively.